[Tim Koyen]

Yeah, in our 13 years of karting, I’m pretty sure my wife never cried at the track, although I think my driver did a couple times…lol.

One funny thing about watching this show, is it reminds me how much I miss racing with my driver when he was only 12 and little things like finishing in the top 10 were cause for celebration.  I hope these families, and everyone else for that matter, really appreciates where they are now, because someday anything less than winning won’t be enough, then its not as fun anymore.  Now that I’m on the downside that of that “youthful exuberance”, and we’ve come to terms with the phrase, you can’t win them all, karting is fun again.  So even though my driver is turning 24 next month, and his professional dreams were never realized, we ARE having fun at the track everytime we race.  We’re some of the lucky ones, we get to keep racing, even as an adult.  I hope the kids and families portrayed in the show all get their dreams of pro careers realized, but just in case they don’t, they should take plenty of pictures now, and log the memories well, because someday they’ll wish they spent more time savoring each and every pass, because the trophies are just dusty plastic reminders of the journey.

[Tim Koyen]

I think TJ is currently using the FreeM one and likes it, although for years he ran the P1 Kevlar vest and it was good as well.  He also tried the Ribtect and said it was fine too.  I know P1 has a new one with memory foam on the inside that Jamie at Franklin Motorsports was showing me the other day.  Looks pretty nice.  Its all about finding what is comfortable for your driver.  Personally, I don’t think a chest protector is necessary for anyone beyond the smaller kids, but that’s your choice.  Most of the above mentioned vests already have some type of padding/plating in the front, just as an added bonus.

Regarding the seat, keep it fairly snug.  You don’t want to be bouncing around, that’s how you get hurt.  If you need to tighten up a certain area, that really dense foam that you can buy in squares from any chain store, (I think they sell it as an exercise mat) works really good and is super cheap.  It cuts easily and provides good padding.  Hold it in place with tape.  I used to glue it in TJ’s seats using Shoo Goo, but that makes it permanent, and when the kids are growing fast, it’s nice to be able to take it out and change the shape.

[Tim Koyen]

Its interesting to read and hear all these opinions from karters about this show.  It might be worthwhile to read Entertainment Weekly’s recap of the last episode to get a view from the perspective of a non-karter.

http://community.ew.com/2015/02/04/kart-life-fight-or-flight-recap/

The absence of any discussion of costs, the technical inaccuracies, or the long debated “stepping-stone” discussion is very obvious.  In other words, the things that have us karters all worked up, are of no consequence to the non-karters, aka viewers.  The viewers are more concerned with clever nicknames like John “the boss” Bromante, or cute analogies, like calling Derek Fitzgerald a cross between Paddington Bear and Kid Rock.  I actually enjoyed the recaps more than the show, because they are from an unbiased point of view.  Obviously most of the viewers don’t have a clue about the sport, and they’re allowed to happily enjoy it without the encumbrances of knowing that Malukas’ X30 has no place on the grid in the Yamaha race, even if he starts from the back!

I often say that life is about perspectives.  Success or failure, winning or losing, victory or defeat, all depends where you are standing.  Let’s stand next to some non-karters for the next episode and we may enjoy it even more.

[Tim Koyen]

You guys need to relax.  This show has done nothing to hurt the sport of karting.  All its going to do is put it in front of more people, and that can’t hurt anything.

I was at the events that they filmed at, and while its certainly dramatized for TV, this is what racing is like at that level.  These aren’t club events where we show the newbies how to rebuild carbs and do an alignment.  You’d better have your sh*t together when you show up.  I’m sure the guys shown in the show are spending that kind of dough, because they are better at making money than they are at setting up a chassis.  I wish I had that ability, but I don’t, so I had to learn the hard way, but you can still compete with them.  I was at a SKUSA Pro Tour race a year ago, with my son racing Tag Sr.  We qualified decent and were gridded up 4th or something like that.  I looked down the grid before I started his kart and I was the only dad who was starting his kid in the top 10, everyone else had a mechanic.  Honestly, one of my proudest moments.  My driver went on to finish 2nd that day, and 4th the next.  No one has a smaller racing budget than me, and I’m sure we spent $4k that weekend.  I know that most of those guys probably spend double that.  And I’m sure if Bromante, or Malukas were there, they would’ve spent 3 times that.

Here’s the point of my rambling.  People need to know that club racing isn’t all there is.  Would short track car racing be as popular without NASCAR or Indycars?  Of course not.  Do a bunch of people start racing short tracks every year thinking they’re going to NASCAR someday?..absolutely!  We all know that NASCAR specializes in selling drama, but it also puts excitement and a dream in front of people.  Some people will feel like chasing that dream and they will help fill the fields on Saturday night at your local track.  Eventually they will realize that big time racing is all about money, but until their dreams are crushed, we’ll all get to enjoy more racing.

So, even if Kart Life over dramatizes what we all think of as karting, it still puts it in front of thousands of kids (and adults) who may have never known about the sport.  Some of those kids will whine enough to get their folks to take them to a kart race, and maybe one of us will be lucky enough to say hello, and help them on their journey toward their own racing dream.

One more point about the money aspect.  Lots has been made about the numbers thrown around at the start of the show.  They are realistic for people trying to buy the experience and knowledge, but they don’t have to be that big.  But it is necessary for those types of people to be in this sport.  Without the big spenders, there is less competition and less of a program for everyone.  You don’t need to be rich, but its beneficial to have rich people as part of your racing series, if you want to grow.  These rich people are the ones that get tapped to help cover cookouts or other special races.  When I was on the board of directors at my local club, they focused solely on keeping karting cheap, but they also marketed the sport as cheap, rather than on its other merits.  This really frustrated me.  If you market your sport to broke people, broke people is who you’ll have in your club.  Everytime your club/series needs $1000 for an improvement or special event, you’ll have to shake everyone down for $20.  If you’re lucky enough to have some people in your club that are a little more well off, many times they will be happy to help out financially, or help you get “the hookup” on cheaper services.

Closing point:  Rich racers spend a lot of money race, but can be very helpful and donate to the club/series, to everyone’s benefit.  Beat them on the track with your skills, but don’t chase anyone away.  Teach newbies that you can spend as much as you want, but you don’t have to, if you’re willing to put the work in.

[Tim Koyen]

Sounds like the battery first, then if that doesn’t cure it, the bendixes are notoriously bad.  I’ve replaced many of them.

[Tim Koyen]

And they definitely do take grip out of the wheel…

[Tim Koyen]

Bob, you can park under my tent, but I’d probably charge you double what I’d charge anyone else, but that’s just because I know you. :)

Seriously, let’s just write it off to “reality TV’ which is probably the biggest oxymoron of the 21st century.  We all know that the moments portrayed is this show are a tiny fraction of what this sport is all about.  If the show gets some people to the track, then its our job to be good ambassadors of the sport and help prospective karters understand that what they saw on TV, isn’t what karting is all about.  Then we can show them the good stuff.

[Tim Koyen]

Rob’s comments about the shops’ function at that level is spot on.  Every successful regional or national series out there knows that good shop support is fundamental to having a successful series.  A large part of the racers at that level are not DIY’ers.  They want and need the shops to be there, and the shops need them.  The series need them both, and they know it.  Most people don’t see it, but there is a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes handwringing about who is going to schedule first and the informal pecking order.  Larger, more successful series get to schedule first, then it moves down the line.  This isn’t because they all share the same 150 racers, its because the same shops/teams service them all.  All promoters know the important role that the teams play in bringing entries to these events and making the teams choose one event over another is very risky.  Sometimes its necessary, but still risky.

This is also an obvious strategy to defend the Rotax brand in a market this feeling a strong IAME push.  Like we always say, its not personal, its just business.  I hope they are both successful and the overall market grows.

 

[Tim Koyen]

Some people might be shocked to learn that a lot of people weren’t happy with the “status quo” series, yet still complied because it was the only show in town.  The type of chatter has gone on between the shops for awhile now, as they watched their portion of the revenue dwindle.  A new series had a ready-made group of followers just waiting for it to happen.  To me, the most surprising part is that it isn’t Rok Cup based.  I really thought it would be, given the desire by Vortex to be a player again.

In the East, WKA’s Man Cup series was very sick a couple years ago.  Many shops and racers felt they were being ignored by the organization.  USPKS was born out of that.  USPKS has flourished in its first few years, but WKA hasn’t given up yet.  In fact, they seem to be making an effort to right the ship.  Only time will tell if both series can survive.  Things aren’t quite that bad in the West.  The current market leader is still healthy and doing well, yet there is an underlying tone of unhappiness among some of the customers.  Will this new competition be able to jump right in and be successful because of this?  Again, time will tell.  If not, it is still a wake up call to everyone that no one can be complacent…karting business, otherwise.

[Tim Koyen]

This is not a big deal.  The market will work out very quickly whether or not this makes sense.  A little competition for karting series is always good.  It makes the programs better and keeps them listening to the racers.

[Tim Koyen]

I would also recommend Dave Larson of TAG Shipping.  I use him for all my LTL freight.  Good prices and he’s a karter.

[Tim Koyen]

Please don’t, TJ’s desk is next to mine.  There isn’t enough room for his big head as it is. ;)

Seriously though, there is so much information on handling and driving, and so many differing opinions, that it would probably degenerate into a waste time very quickly.  When you need help, the best way is to ask specific questions, while giving as much information about the setup, track conditions, etc.. and then sift through the responses you get.

[Tim Koyen]

Great advice from Anthony and Freddy.  I agree with it all.

Keep in mind that there are lots of good Yamaha engine builders out there, and the two named above are both great national builders.  But, if you’re new to Yamaha and there is a good builder in your area that services your track/series, that might be more valuable to you when you need a little help.

[Tim Koyen]

Thanks for the kind words Matt.  When you are ready to buy your kart stand, give me a call at the shop (877)777-8020 or email me at tim@KartLift.com.  I get used kart stands from time to time in trade-ins, dealer buybacks, etc, and some of them are pretty nice.   Just let me know what you’re looking for, and I can keep an eye out for it as well.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Tim

[Tim Koyen]

“…Karts should have a nice linear powerband, be light and flickable, and should scream at some obscene RPM…”

Didn’t we just discuss Route 66 doing Komet at #330 for 2015?  I believe that meets your requirements.

[Tim Koyen]

Hi Matt-

Here at KartLift, we have one person kart stands available directly from us, or one of our many dealers across the US.  KartLift has been in business since 2003 and is the market leader in powered kart stands.  There is a reason the top dealers and kart shops put their trust in our products, they are engineered to give you many years of reliable service.  Our design and components have been proven by building hundreds of stands over the years.

We also support the industry with sponsorships, and this website, by advertising on it.

Our stands might not be the cheapest thing you can find, but they are an excellent product at a good price, which makes them a great value.  Thanks for checking them out!

http://www.kartlift.com

877-777-8020

[Tim Koyen]

I use the sandpaper method, which is actually emery cloth.  It comes on a roll and works pretty nice.  Helps keep the engine from sliding as well.  The frame looks nicer too when it comes time to sell.  You can also use adhesive backed non-skid tape, which looks very similar and is available from a hardware store.

[Tim Koyen]

Better idea.  Trade in all those Leopards for HPVs.  Then we’ll have some real fun!  Learn what braking zones, momentum, and clean passes are all about…

Shoot.  I’m starting to sound like an old timer. ;)

[Tim Koyen]

When you are considering generators, keep in mind that the Yamaha equivalent to the Honda Eu2000 is also a very good generator, and may be less expensive.  A friend recently bought a Honda EU2000, only to have it quit working entirely after only 1 day of use.  He was able to exchange it for a new one, but the Tech (who sells both brands) said the Yamaha was really a better unit.  I’ve had a Yamaha 3000 for several years and it has performed flawlessly.  Whatever the case, buy one that is a RV or campground style, meaning it puts out less than 60 decibels at load.  Your neighbors at the track will appreciate it, as will you.

From a compressor standpoint, anything big enough to run sanders or other steady consumption tools, will be too big and just be a pain.  A nice, quality, smaller unit will handle tires, and the occasional air impact, which you don’t really need anyway.  There is a reason no one at the track uses them.  The electric impacts work just as well and are way less hassle.  Best of luck.

[Tim Koyen]

Hey!  Stop giving away my setup process…lol.

“…Pretty soon we were just throwing huge changes at it in desperation and we ended up with some wack setup that was super far off baseline and the kart was never going to work.”

[Tim Koyen]

On the flip side, at least you get a chance to race for a purse now.  I wonder if there will still be any trophies in those classes, or just $$.

I can’t see where its worthwhile to bother paying to reserve a number.

Based on John’s numbers, its getting close to what you’d pay to run a Pro class at USPKS, and you there you get everything above, plus more laps, 2 finals, driver’s pit pass, cookout, competition, and cool people.

[Tim Koyen]

Seems kinda like the old bicycle generators were for bikes.  Once battery technology got decent, the generators were obsoleted.  But for sleds, I could totally see this, given the power needed to run heated grips and the OEM lights.

The idea of lights on a kart sound fun, but unless the races were 24 hour or endurance type, battery power would seem to make the most sense.  A good light that could handle the vibration, etc, would be key though.

[Tim Koyen]

I heard both the karts turned similar lap times at the last race, so prepping isn’t likely.

[Tim Koyen]

The bake off temp of 850 is what would make me nervous.  I know I’ve owned karts before that are heat treated in different ways, to achieve certain results.  I’m not a metallurgist, but that would concern me.

I use aircraft stripper on chassis and then sandblast the hard to reach areas.  Powder coating itself is only around 450F, and obviously the karts were all powdered at one time, so that part doesn’t bother me.  That super high temp of 850 is what they use to bake off the residue left on the hanging hooks, I just wouldn’t do it to a kart, but that’s me.

[Tim Koyen]

Freddy’s stand is fixable for sure.  We still have all the parts for the older Pro KartLifts, as there are more than a thousand of them out there.

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